SMEDAN launches N3.5m Kagarko honey processing facility

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has launched honey processing facility in Dokon-Daji, in Kagarko LGA of Kaduna state valued at about N3.5 million.

The Director General, Dikko Umaru Radda while commissioning the facility asked the Bee-keepers Association of Nigeria to expand the honey value chain to include exportation.

He said: “SMEDAN has provided the equipment, work space and working capitals for the beneficiaries and urge them to make judicious use of the facilities in job creation.

“We are also monitoring the progress of the association and we want to do more to seek collaboration from other organizations so more funds will be injected to meet global demand,” Radda said.

Dikko who was represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Oluwale Fasanya also said the project was part of the One Local government One Project (OLOP) of SMEDAN across 114 local governments in Nigeria.

President of the association in the LGA, Bulus Sambo said there was the growing demand for honey and the drive to export the product to other countries of the world.

“SMEDAN gave the association N3.5 million capital while the machines cost N2.8m of which the three benefiting companies make a minimum of N300,000 a week. We have started exporting to the United States and Canada,” Sambo said.